Perfect Earth: Rising
by TheNewRepublic
Summary: One thousand years from now, the world is ruled by one oppressive dictator bent of Perfection. Vanellope von Schweetz, an "Imperfect" citizen, has lived her life running from the law and living on the streets. But one day, she finally has a chance to fulfill the promise she made to her parents when she was a child: revolt against the Perfect Earth.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_I was only_ _five, but I remember everything…._

_It was the middle of the night when my father ran into my bedroom and woke me up. I didn't even have the time to sit up in my bed before he gathered me into his arms and carried me out if my room. I heard screaming, sounds of fighting, the crackling of fire. I asked my father what was happening. I asked him where Mom was. He didn't answer. He ran down the hall with his only child in his arms, making noises that I couldn't differentiate from grunts of pain or sobs of sorrow. He kept running until we were outside. I saw the flashing lights, the men in white and gold uniforms carrying guns running into my home, yelling into the communicators on their facemasks. I asked my father once again what was going on. He put me on the ground. I stood on my feet while he stayed on his knees. He held my shoulders and looked me straight in the eyes and said "run". I asked him why. He told me everything was going to be okay. He told me to run, keep running, do not stop running. He said he would come and find me. I said okay. He kissed my forehead and hugged me, told me to fight the good fight of freedom, then once again uttered "run". I said no more as I turned and ran. I ran, I kept running, I didn't stop running….that is, until I heard the explosion. I ran almost a mile when I stopped and turned to see what used to be my home now replaced by red and yellow flames hundreds of feet high. I stared in shock. I didn't yet understand what was happening or why it was happening. What I did know was that I needed to keep running. My dad knew it wasn't safe for me there, so I turned my back to the flames and kept running until my legs could not carry me any further. I was so exhausted, I walked down an empty alleyway and lied on an old mattress, but before I fell asleep, I reminded myself that my dad would come and find me. I was afraid to be alone, but his parting words comforted me. I fell asleep, hoping I'd wake up, and everything would be perfectly fine. My my dad was coming to find me. I'd be safe soon…._

_It's been ten years. He still hasn't found me. _


	2. Chapter 1: Run

**A/N: Chapter 1 of Perfect Earth: Rising is now up! Enjoy!**

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My name is Vanellope von Schweetz. I live in an alleyway in the Capricorn Province, a part of the earth that was once a place called the United States of America, a free country. I live in the 77th District, located on the very southern-most area of the province, a place once know as Florida. It's a lucky place to live. It's not often I see a white and gold uniform of a PERL officer around.

I've been homeless since I was five. Ever since the PERL destroyed my home because my parents were members of a rebel group, I've been on my own. Now I'm just another "Imperfect", which is what you're called when you've never been put through the Government Education and Care system. I know it sounds like a school, but I can tell you it isn't. It's all basically a fifteen year long brainwashing that basically tells you "rebellion=bad, Turbo Candavious=good".

Have I mentioned Candavious yet? Well, what is there to say? The supreme dictator of the Perfect Earth. Loves order, obedience, and killing people that get in his way. He's nicknamed "King Candy" humorously, but that name gives me an upset stomach more than it amuses me. Turbo Candavious is the man responsible for the Imperfect Purge. Anyone who doesn't go through the Government Education and Care system is deemed "Imperfect" and must be sent to Society Protection, which is like prison, only a whole lot worse. Nobody knows what happens to prisoners in Society Protection because the PERL never release any information about anything.

Long story short: If you're Imperfect, you have already been sentenced to life in prison.

Therefore, I'm a criminal. As you might expect, I'm not the only homeless Imperfect around. I know dozens of fellow Imperfects. They're great people. It's a shame they're seen as the filthy residue of the Perfect World.

Every night, I go to bed dreaming about how one day, the Perfect World Order would come to an end. Imperfects will one day be strong enough to save this earth.

A girl can only dream….

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

November 30, 3055. I'm fifteen now.

I've seen a lot of revolution organizations come and go. Most famously, the Broken Red in 3051, the Hawkmen in 3054, and just this year, Rush. The Rush is still at large, which is amazing. Most revolutionary groups are vaporized in three months tops, yet the Rush has been around since last year. What's more, the Rush is pretty much a complete mystery. Their leader is unknown, as is any members of the organization. That's probably why the Rush hasn't been found yet. Not even the PERL know much if anything about them. But they're over glorified. They'll be crushed soon enough, I'm sure.

I wake up every morning to the sounds of InterLuna shuttles flying by over head, usually around 7 in the morning. I live between two old skyscrapers, as they are called. Many live in the sky, you know, Perfects do. There are plenty of homes around, but businesses being conducted on the ground? Unheard of. Most of the world's companies are based in the Capitol Province, an area formerly called Europe.

I sleep on an old, worn out mattress. They're not that hard to find anymore, the mattresses, that is. Ever since the Zleep System was released, everyone threw away their old fashioned bed cushions for a high tech sleeping system. I wear a leather jacket over my T-shirt, scuffed up jeans and boots. Jackets, jeans, and boots went out if style decades ago, but what does that matter to me.

My morning routine is simple. I wander through the alleyways until I get hungry, then I go to an old restaurant who always throws out stale food. Today, I had some week-old bread and some bitter apples. Pretty darn good eating, if you ask me.

I sometimes go to the "Underground", a sort of club just for Imperfects. The government doesn't know it exists, or they'd rather not care. Yes, I'm fifteen, and yeah, I go to a club, but I'm already a criminal. What is there to lose anyway?

The Underground wasn't really busy today. Only a couple guys sat at the bar, having drinks. The bartender was also the owner of the place. We always called him Desmond. He was actually a Perfect, but had gotten in trouble for selling alcohol. Alcohol had been outlawed ever since the PERL took over. Now people needed alternatives. The most popular was called Hive Sugar. It's pretty much genetically altered cane sugar that is extremely strong. The stuff is in every drink sold at the Underground. It's not illegal, and it's health threats aren't as extensive as those of alcohol.

"Mint Dragon Breath, please." I requested of Desmond.

The dark-skinned, scruffy haired and bearded bartender smirked lopsidedly. "You ought to just say 'the usual' from now on, kid." He chuckled. The man had a point. I'd always order Mint Dragon Breath when I went there.

"Not a bad idea." I agreed with him.

It only took about a minute for the guy to sit a pint of my drink in front of me. "Pay up." He told me routinely.

I handed him ten chips, as the currency was called. Desmond was practically giving drinks away. Ten chips wouldn't buy a role of 1-ply toilet paper. Money wasn't that big of a deal to Desmond, anyway. He'd made money gambling. Like he'd always say, "quit while you're ahead". He made enough money to live a bottom-dwelling life, and he quit before he could lose it all.

I took a sip of my drink, letting the familiar strong mint taste run over my taste buds. Desmond went on with his own business, cleaning used glasses or reading on his HoloTab.

A minute passed before another person entered the club, two persons, actually. Two guys dressed in jackets and black pants. They were teenagers, judging by their appearance, but I didn't recognize them. One was blond haired, the other black haired, and neither of them seemed to have the intent of buying a drink or playing a game of cards. "Desmond." The dark haired one said. "We need to talk."

Desmond looked their way with what seemed to be a dreadful look in his eyes, almost as if he'd been expecting these two to show up, but wasn't looking forward to it. Nonetheless, Desmond stepping into his private quarters, the two guys following.

I was admittedly curious. The two other guys who had been there the whole time didn't pay much mind to the recent occurrence. They continued their witty conversation about politics and what-not.

I looked towards the closed door with a "private" plaque flaunted on it. My curiosity overcame me as I left my half-finished Dragon Breath on the bar to casually eavesdrop on the three people inside the room.

"You're still not trusted, not even by us." A voice said. The voice was certainly not Desmond's, and the rather Anglophile accent didn't match that of stranger #1 that had spoken earlier. The light haired guy must have spoken.

"Perfects aren't to be trusted, yeah, I know." Desmond's voice replied. "I'm just trying to help you guys out. Why should I care if you trust me or not. The last time I trusted someone, I went to the Socy." (Society Protection).

"The same thing will happen to us, which is why we don't trust you." The dark haired stranger told him.

"You're smart kids. Imperfects are always smart." Desmond confided in them. "Trust me or not, I'm not reporting you guys any time soon." He said with utmost certainty.

"You better hope so. We'll drop hell on you quicker than you can say 'sorry' if you do." The English one said.

"You have my word, whether you like it or not." Desmond told them.

"Good, then." The dark headed one said. "Fall to Rush."

"Fall to Rush." Desmond responded.

I gasped at that. Rush? Like, THE Rush?

Suddenly, the door swung open, and it smacked me right in the forehead. I fell onto my back as a blazing pain shot through me from my head.

I looked up to see the two strangers. They glared down at me in distain.

That's when I realized I might be in trouble. "Ciao." I remarked, then I hopped to my feet and ran for the exit, hearing the strangers' footsteps behind me. I ran out of the club, dodging people and obstacles as my chasers tried to keep up. I was outrunning them for the moment. I then took a sharp left down another alley where I was suddenly slammed right into a wall.

After my blurry vision went away, I saw a girl pinning my shoulders against a concrete wall. I tried to escape her grip, but it was useless.

"What's the big idea? Who are you?!" I demanded of the teenaged girl.

By now, the two other guys had caught up.

"And them, too!" I commanded. "Let go! I'll have you reported."

I must've said the key word, for the girl let go, but in mere seconds, she pulled out a rag and shoved it onto my face. I gasped in surprise, which was a mistake. My world went black in five seconds flat.

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**Thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome. Chapter 2 is coming soon!**


	3. Chapter 2: Welcome

I regained consciousness to total darkness. My other senses told me I was tied to a chair, and there was something around my neck. The only sound I heard was the light rhythmic sound of feet pacing the floor.

I couldn't help but start panicking like a child, struggling against my bonds and yelling. Apparently, that's what my kidnappers were waiting for. My darkness was removed from my eyes, and I now saw that I was in a dark room, with only a lamp illuminating it. I saw a girl standing a few steps away from me. Her hair was green, with eyes to match. She kept her hands tucked in her jacket pockets as she looked at me with her head tilted to the side. She seemed around my age, maybe a little younger, but she was obviously important. You could tell that just by the aura of authority she gave off.

"Who are you?" I asked in a croaky voice. I cleared my throat immediately.

The girl took a step towards me, her head tilting towards her other shoulder. She crossed her arms. "Why do you want to know?" Her voice was surprisingly light and perhaps had the ability to make fun and playful remarks, but her tone of voice at the moment was as hard as steel.

"I don't know. I just thought I'd get to know the person who kidnapped me." I shot at her sarcastically.

The girl shook her head. "You don't know how much trouble you'd be in if it weren't for us."

"Yeah, well….wait, us?" I asked, looking around. "Who else is here?"

"Please save all questions for the end of the interrogation." The girl requested equally as sarcastically as I had with my last remark. She took one more step towards me, leaving her just a couple feet away from me. "Who are you?" She asked me.

"Who wants to know?" I asked defiantly.

"I do." She said bluntly, her glare burning a hole through me.

I swallowed. "Okay, then. I'm Vanellope Von Schweetz."

"Imperfect?" She asked.

"Duh."

"Okay." The girl walked out of the lamp's light, then returned with a chair if her own. She say down on it, facing me. "Vanellope, have you ever been part of a revolutionary group?"

i raised an eyebrow. "My….parents were."

"Where are they?" She asked.

"I don't know. Dead, I'd say."

The girl nodded. "Because of the PERL?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

The girl sighed. She looked over my shoulder and waved for someone. Whoever it was came up behind me and untied the ropes binding me to the chair. I sighed as I rubbed my blistered wrists.

"I'm Candlehead." The girl said.

I looked at her. "Say again?"

"It's not my real name, mind you." Candlehead told me.

"So what is your real name?" I asked.

"My real name doesn't matter." She stood up and offered her hand to me. I simply stood up on my own, not needing the girl's assistance.

The moment I stood, I immediately sat back down, clutching my head. My forehead had started throbbing, and there was now a bandage over the place I had gotten hit with the door back at the Underground. I groaned in displeasure.

Candlehead sighed. "Follow me, Vanellope." She said flatly, walking towards a door.

I managed to get back to my feet to follow the girl. I didn't take a step until my dizziness stopped. I finally began following Candlehead after watching her take a few more steps.

We stepped out into a hallway. Before we got any further along, I spoke up. "Where am I?"

"Vanellope." Candlehead said. "Welcome to Rush Headquarters."


	4. Chapter 3: Home of the Homeless

Chapter 3  
Home of the Homeless

"So this is THE Rush?" I asked again just to clear things up.

"Yes, it is." Candlehead nodded. We were walking into what looked like a conference room. Candlehead went to a drawer and opened it. She took something out of it and brought it to me. She placed it in my hand.

I looked at the piece of fabric. It was a black armband with a green "R" on it.

"What's this for?" I asked.

"Put it on. Under your jacket, preferably." She told me.

I took my jacket off and slipped the armband on. "What is it for?" I repeated.

Candlehead took her jacket off and turned to show me her armband, one that matched the one she'd given me. "It's for membership."

"Membership?" I stared at my armband. Then my eyes widened as I realized what she was insinuating. "You want me to join the Rush?!"

Candlehead nodded. "I figured you'd want to, since if you don't, we'd just have to kill you. Don't want outsiders to go reporting us, you know, like you said you would."

I pursed my lips. "Yeah, I'd rather join." I chuckled.

Candlehead laughed slightly as well. It was the first time I'd seen her smile. "Good choice."

I tugged on my armband a little. "How many more of you are there?" I asked.

"About three hundred worldwide." She said casually.

"Wow." I nodded. That reminded me to ask. "Are you leader of something? 'Cause you seem like the authoritative sort."

"I'm the leader of this branch. There are about ten Rushers here in the 77th District."

"Is there, like, the one ultimate leader of the Rush?"

"No. It goes as high as branch leader, and that's it." She began to walk towards the door. She waved for me to follow. "Would you like to meet the other members in this district?"

"Sure." I followed her out. We began walking down another hallway. We soon entered another room. It seemed like a lounge of sorts. There were cushioned seats, some virtual reality games, and a kitchen. There were eight people in there, each wearing the Rush armband.

"That's the new girl?" One of them asked. It was a girl with red hair and matching eyes. She was sitting in one if the chairs drinking a soda.

Candlehead nodded at her.

The redhead chuckled. "You weren't kidding when you said you dragged her off the alleys." She took a sip of her drink. "You haven't sent her to the washroom yet?"

"No." Candlehead told her with a tiny bit if annoyance. She turned to me. "This is Jubileena."

"I'm Vanellope." I hesitated, but I reached out to shake the girl's hand.

Jubileena grinned and honored my gesture. "I'm just teasing you. Glad to have a new member." Once she let my hand go, she rubbed her nose. "But seriously…." She took a breath of fresh air before continuing. "You need a shower desperately."

"I'll show you the washroom after we're done here." Candlehead told me. She then turned to a girl sitting near Jubileena. The girl had black hair in a braid, blue eyes, and pale skin. "This is Adorabeezle."

The girl smiled and waved. "Hi."

The girl seemed so cheerful, I couldn't help but smile back at her. "I'm Vanellope."

"Nice to meet you." We shook hands.

Candlehead continued to introduce everyone else to me: Jubileena's identical twin Citrusella, a green-haired girl named Minty, Rancis and Gloyd, the two guys I'd seen at the Underground, Swizzle, another guy with green hair and darker skin, and Crumbelina, a girl with brown hair and caramel skin, with an accent equal to that of Rancis's.

Afterwards, Candlehead asked me "I bet you have plenty of questions, don't you?"

"Now that you mention it." I nodded.

"You can come to my room. I'll tell you what you need to know."

There wasn't really much to Candlehead's room. Just a bed, closet, and nightstand. Still, though, it was more than I'd ever had since my parents had died.

"Ask away." Candlehead said as she sat down on the bed.

"Uh, okay…." Where could I start? "What're the ground rules? What can and what can't I do?"

"First of all, never go up alone." Candlehead told me.

"Go up?"

"We're underground. Sorry if I forgot to mention that. You just shouldn't leave this place without someone going with you."

I nodded. That made sense. Wouldn't want a treasonous, radical revolutionary going on a leisurely stroll with PERL officers around.

"Second, only leave if necessary. We have reasons to leave every once in a while, but if you want to leave, you have to take it up with me.

"Third, never bring outsiders down here. That's a big no-no.

"Forth, always stay anonymous. Never tell any outsider your name, age, or anything like that.

"Lastly, for now, never let any outsider see your armband."

"Why have it, then?" I asked.

"It's used to know who's a Rusher. You might encounter someone that turns out to be one, perhaps if we're collaborating with another branch."

"Okay." I thought about something else to ask. "So how do you guys get all this stuff? None of you have jobs, do you?"

Candlehead sighed. "You might not like this, but we usually have to resort to robbery to get money."

"You guys, like, rob banks?!" I asked in astonishment.

"No, no. It's more complicated than that. Eventually, you'll see what I mean." She chuckled. "We're already criminals, anyway."

I nodded. Might as well tally up the crimes.

"I'll eventually see?" I asked.

"Of course. You've got to do your part as a member." She smiled. "In fact, we had a plan lined up. Maybe you'd want to participate?"

"You want me to rob a place?" I shifted uncomfortably on my feet.

"I'll send you with somebody. And don't worry, it'll be a snap." She reached over to her nightstand, opened a drawer, and pulled out a notebook. She opened it to a certain page. "We've scored here before. This guy is a Perfect who always needs to get his AC system fixed. You and Swizzle will disguise yourselves and act like door-to-door salespeople promoting your AC repair service. He'll invite you to fix his system. The unit is in the closet in his study."

"Okay, so?" I asked.

"You go to his study and act like you're fixing the system. When the man leaves, you go to the safe behind a painting. You partake the contents and stash them, tell the guy his system is fixed, and leave."

"What about when he finds out his system isn't fixed?" I asked.

"He'll just think you were bad workers. He's not that bright anyway. He is a Perfect, you know."

I chuckled. "Okay, sounds fun. I don't have anything planned, so I think I'll be able to come along." I grinned.

Candlehead smiled slightly. "Well, that's good to know."

I took a look around the room. "So, do I get a room?"

Candlehead hesitated. "Uh, I'm not sure how the whole 'rooming' situation is. I'll check with the others, but you might end up sharing with someone."

"Whatever works." I shrugged. It wasn't like I was going to be picky. Sleeping in an actual bed under an actual roof? Who cares if I share? I'll take what I can get.

"So how'd you get here?" I asked curiously.

"Hm?" She asked. "Oh. How'd I join the Rush? Well, the same way you did, I guess."

"So you got chloroformed and dragged down here?" I asked.

Candlehead rolled her eyes. "Well, maybe not exactly like you. I found out a….a friend of mine had connections with the Rush, which I eventually got tangled up with. I joined and worked my way up to branch leader."

"What about family?" I asked. I knew that with Imperfects, family could be a touchy subject, but I asked anyway.

Candlehead shrugged. "I never knew my parents. I grew up in a foster home until I was six when I ran away. A group of Imperfects helped take care of me until I was old enough to take care if myself." She looked at me. "I remember you saying your parents were revolutionaries."

"Yeah." I nodded, my gut twisting a little by the mention of my parents.

"What group?" She asked.

"The Falters."

"Ah." She nodded, as if she'd heard of them. "The PERL had to take care of them personally, huh?"

"Yeah." I rubbed my neck. "My parents told me to run just before the PERL attacked. They told me to fight the good fight of freedom." A lump began to form in my throat, but I pushed it down.

"'Fight the Good Fight of Freedom.'" Candlehead said. "That was their mantra."

"Mmhm." I rubbed my nose. "I promised them I'd defeat the PERL. I just never knew how."

"Well, here, we will. Our ultimate goal is to take over." She gave my shoulder a pat. "You'll make your parents proud."

"Yeah." A feeling of hope welled up inside me. "I could." I never thought I'd be able to keep my promise, but now, it was possible.

Candlehead nodded. "But we gotta work for it. We're nowhere close to taking over until we grow and get the supplies we need. And to do that, we need money." She stood up. "Speaking of that, the mission I talked about will happen tomorrow. You in?"

I couldn't help but smile. "You bet I am."

"Great. Oh, and a couple more things you should know. The Rush code is 'Fall to Rush.' We use it when working with allies."

"Like Desmond?" I asked.

Candlehead sighed. "Yeah, like Desmond."

"What does 'Fall to Rush' mean exactly?" I asked.

"It's basically short for 'The Perfect Earth will fall to Rush'. Also, we have a sign we do along with our code." She placed her right fist over her chest and pointed her nose towards her right shoulder. "That's it. Try it."

I did what she had done. "Like that?"

"Exactly." She nodded. "I think that's all you need to know right now."

"So there's no initiation into Rush or anything like that?"

"Nope." Candlehead shook her head. "Now then." She took a deep breath. "Jubileena was right. Follow me, I'll show you the washroom."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I hadn't actually bathed in an actual bathroom since my parents were still around. I rarely ever bathed since soap wasn't really easy to find. Like I'd waste the money I find to buy soap. Bathing wasn't really necessary for me anyway. The people I encounter all sleep outside and are homeless, so they smell the same. Well, the smell doesn't bother me, anyway, since I'm so used to it. Sometimes I'd make the trek outside of the district limits to go swim in a lake, which was pretty much as close as I ever got to bathing.

But now I was in an actual washroom, with a shower and a bathtub and everything.

"I'll bring some clean clothes for you." Candlehead told me. "Set your clothes just outside the door so I can take them to get washed."

"Okay." I told her, and she left, closing the door behind her. Clean clothes? I'd wear the same outfit for months until I found "new" clothes, besides my jacket. I'd found it three years ago, and I'd never get rid of it.

Now that I knew I'd be getting fresh clothes, I almost never wanted to see the tattered clothes I was wearing now again. Rush members must get multiple outfits. And an actual bathroom? And a bed? How luxurious.

Anyway, I stripped away my rancid clothes and sat them just outside the bathroom door, except for my Rush armband, which I sat beside the sink. That's when I spotted myself in the mirror, which made me realize just how long it had been since I had seen my reflection.

Man, I was disgusting.

My hair looked like a muddy pile of crow feathers, my face was shaded with dirt. My neck and arms were sunburnt. I don't even want to describe my feet.

It must've been months since I'd seen my reflection. It's not like you come across mirrors in the dumpster very often. I was certainly surprised to see how I'd changed since the last time I saw myself.

I got to the shower as quickly as possible. I turned the tap on and felt the warm water hit my skin. That's when I realized how long it had been since I'd felt warm water.

Immediately, slightly darkened water trailed from me to the drain. I hadn't even tried to clean myself, and I was already shedding dirt like a dog.

I spotted a bottle sitting in the ground. I picked it up and read the label. "Shampoo". I marveled at it for a moment. I thought only Perfects had access to things like these.

I came to realize I had no idea how to use this stuff. I turned the bottle over to read the instructions on the back. Thank goodness it had instructions.

I wet my hair. It was rather unsettling to see all the black and brown debris falling from my head, even though it wasn't surprising. I then squeezed some of the "shampoo" into my hand. It was a weird blue gel sort of stuff. I was supposed to put this gunk in my hair? I did it anyway and spread it out on my rough scalp. I probably spent five minutes trying to get my hair completely clean. I mean, my first shower in ten years, you'd think I'd take my sweet time.

When I finally got fed up with rubbing the stuff into my head, I rinsed it off. A strange looking mixture of blue, white, and black trailed off of me and into the drain. I ran my hand through my hair. It actually didn't feel like a wad of steel wool.

I then used a bar of soup for the first time in, like, forever. Let's just say my skin tone was darker before I got in the shower than afterwards. Basically, I had an extra layer made entirely of dirt over my actual skin.

I cleaned myself off as thoroughly as I could. I had gotten so much filth off of me, I probably weighed a few ounces less than before.

When I stepped out of the shower, I saw a pile of clothes neatly folded near the door. I dried off with a towel and literally ran to my new outfit. A clean white T-shirt, a clean pair of pajama bottoms, a clean bra and panties, a clean pair of socks….I hadn't seen so much clean clothes since I was five.

I dressed in my new garments and looked at myself in the mirror. I was amazed at how less disgusting I had become. And the new clothes were so comfortable. I could've fallen asleep right then and there if someone hadn't knocked on the door.

"Dinner's ready, Vanellope." Candlehead called from outside. "You done in there?"

Dinner? Like an actual meal? I bolted over to the door and opened it. "Yep."

Candlehead checked me over and smirked. "Quite the improvement. How's it feel?"

"I feel like a Perfect!" I grinned, looking down at my clean self.

"Don't say that. You're insulting yourself." Candlehead chuckled. "You're Imperfect. Be proud of it."

I sighed and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I've just never felt this….clean!"

"Wouldn't want you smelling like a goat forever, huh?" Candlehead chuckled again. "Those clothes are brand new, by the way. Never been worn before."

"Wow, really?" I marveled at the heavenly fabrics upon my body.

"Mmhm. Now come and eat." Candlehead waved for me to follow her as we walked down the hall.

"What're we eating?" I asked eagerly.

"Sandwiches." She answered.

"Wow…." I said in awe.

We reached the lounge, where the other eight Rushers sat, already enjoying their meals.

"Well, how does not being revolting feel?" Jubileena asked humorously with a grin on her face.

"Feels great." I responded with a chuckle. I sat down in an open seat. Candlehead brought over a plate with a ham sandwich on it. I didn't even take the time to thank her. I inhaled that sandwich in about thirty seconds flat.

"Hungry one, isn't see?" Rancis commented with an amused huff.

"That was amazing." I relished in the light tingling on my tongue still left from the delicious meal.

Everyone else eventually finished eating. "Swizzle and Vanellope, you two ought to get some sleep for your mission tomorrow." Candlehead said.

"Where am I rooming?" I asked.

Candlehead looked around at the others. "Do we have a spare room?"

No one said yes. A couple shook their heads no.

"So I'm sharing with someone?" I asked Candlehead.

"I guess. Who'll let Vanellope stay with them?" She asked.

No one responded, obviously not wanting to give up having their own room.

Candlehead sighed. "You can room with me."

"Thanks." I smiled at her.

"Come on." She stood and waved for me to follow her. We walked to her room again. Or should I say our room?

Candlehead went to her closet and tossed some clothes onto her bed.

"What're those for?" I asked.

"My nightclothes." She told me.

"Nightclothes? Like clothes you wear only at night?"

"Yeah." She looked at me, wondering why I seemed so perplexed.

So that's what non-homeless people do? Wear a special set of clothes just to sleep in? How could this get anymore glamorous?

"So….is that what I'm wearing right now?" I asked, noticing the clothes I had on were similar to the ones on the bed.

"Yeah, pretty much." She said.

I marveled at my clothes once again. Special garments made just for sleeping. How amazing!

Candlehead took her jacket off. I glanced at her armband, which reminded me. "Oh, I left my armband in the bathroom. Be right back." I hurried out of the room and took a moment to try and remember where the bathroom actually was. Once I figured it out, I quickly retrieved my Rush band and returned to the bedroom.

I walked in only to find Candlehead without a shirt on. Her night pants were on, but she'd yet to put her nightshirt on.

"Oh!" I averted my eyes and put my hand over my face to block my sight and to keep Candlehead from seeing me blush.

Candlehead looked at me and chuckled. "Get used to it if you're gonna room with me, rookie."

"Sorry." I said. I wasn't sure if that meant I could look again or if I should still keep looking away.

Candlehead sighed and put her shirt on. "There."

I looked to see her fully dressed.

She shook her head at me and smiled lopsidedly. "Never seen another girl with her shirt off?"

"Well, not exactly." I'd seen some homeless Imperfects who can barely find any clothes to wear at all. It was actually kind of sad. "I just thought, you know, you're the leader. I didn't want to be disrespectful or anything. I don't want to insult you."

Candlehead scoffed. "Don't think of me as a leader. We already have King Candy. The last thing we need is another leader!"

I shrugged. "You got a point."

"I just have a different job. I'm no better than anyone else. I'm as Imperfect as you."

"Imperfect as me? Now, don't say that."

"Come on, Vanellope. We're both rebels. We live underground, we're criminals. We're both thieves."

"I'm not a thief quite yet." I reminded her with a smile.

Candlehead smiled back at me. "My point is I never want you to think I'm an authority figure at all. I'm just another Rusher." She grinned. "So if I'm half naked, and you wanna look, you can look if you damn well please!"

I laughed. "Duly noted."

Candlehead laughed as well. She put her hand on my shoulder. "You see? What kind of leader would give one of her followers permission to ogle at her?"

I started to blush again. "A pretty bad one."

"Exactly! I'd be a terrible leader! So I'm not the leader. Simple as that."

"Can't argue with that logic."

"No, you cannot." She smiled. She then sighed. "I think it's time for bed."

"Agreed." I pulled the covers off the bed and laid my head down on the pillow. And oh how good it felt!

Candlehead switched the light off and closed the door. She then lied down beside me and pulled the covers over us. "I said I'd share the bed. I never said I'd share the pillow." She said jokingly.

"Hm." I moved my head to the edge of the pillow. Candlehead lied down on it. We were now back to back.

"Fall to Rush." She said to me.

I opened my eyes and sighed. "Fall to Rush."

"G'night."

I chuckled as I got an idea. "Goodnight, Candle-light."

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing." I giggled as I closed my eyes.

"Pff." Candlehead tossed in her place a little. I'll just assume she was flattered by my name for her. She just didn't want to show it.

And thus went my last night before becoming a thief.

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